Don't Take the Girl
by Awahili
Summary: A look at three very different points in the life of the Doctor, but not so different after all.  1st DW fic in my INSPIRED series.


My second attempt at Doctor Who. Unfortunately, I do not own it. If I did, I would have done whatever it took to keep David Tennant aboard forever. Just saying...

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><p><strong>Gallifrey, a long time ago...<strong>

The boy woke up with a start, his hearts pounding in his chest. Excitement buzzed through him as his senses focused and he realized what day it was. He jumped up from his bed and scrambled to get dressed, eager to get downstairs. The first sun of the day was just peeking over the horizon, and the gleaming Citadel was just visible as he opened his bedroom door and dashed down the stairs.

"No running!" a voice called from the far bedroom, and he waved over his shoulder at his mother getting ready for the day. He took the steps three at a time and very nearly slid to a stop in the kitchen.

"Father!" he threw his arms around the man sitting at the table, nearly knocking them both to the ground. The man caught the boy easily, ruffling his hair affectionately as he chuckled.

"Someone's a bit excited about our trip today," he set the boy down. "Now eat your breakfast and we'll get going." The boy obeyed readily, shoveling food into his mouth at an alarming rate. A knock on the back door drew his attention, but he continued eating as his father stood to answer.

"Good morning, Teacher," a young voice floated through the room, and the boy choked on his juice as his father returned with a young girl about his age. He recognized her from school and frowned at her presence. His father gave him a harsh glare for his thoughts, but he didn't care. Today was supposed to be a special day – just him and his father – and there was no way he was going to let this girl come along.

_I understand your feelings, my son. But we cannot leave her behind._

The boy glared back harshly, ignoring the girl in favor of replying to his father's mental communication.

_This was supposed to be __our__ trip. _

The man chuckled at his son, so young and full of fire. He remembered a time when things were simple, when the hardest decision he ever had to make was what to wear or what to eat. But life wasn't simple, it was a convoluted interconnecting web of endless complexity and entanglements, and every day of existence was another test, another mark upon a person's soul. His son would soon come to know that life, and his simple, child-like innocence would give way to a difficult road. He tried to convey all this over their link, as well as the important lesson he was trying to teach today.

_It is a lonely path to travel alone, my son. _

But the boy's stubbornness prevailed, and he crossed his arms over his chest in a defiant pout.

_I don't want her to go. Please don't bring her along._

Again the Teacher laughed and laid a hand on the boy's shoulder.

_One day, my son, you will change your mind._

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**Second Moon of Grem, a long time later…**

"Never a dull day with you, is it?" Rose mumbled to the man beside her even as their hands lifted in surrender.

"Well," the Doctor replied quickly, "if it was dull, you wouldn't wanna stay. Gotta keep things interesting." He was eyeing their attacker carefully, analyzing every possible factor that could aid them in escaping yet another adventure-gone-askew. His hearts were thumping in his chest as he took in the very deadly weapon aimed at them, and he could feel the storm within churning to the surface in an instinct to protect the woman next to him.

"Mission accomplished," Rose shot back softly, jumping only slightly as the gun-wielding man thrust forward slightly.

"Shut it, both of you. And dump your pockets." The Doctor flustered for a moment before he dropped his hands in astonishment.

"Are you _robbing _us?"

"That's right," the man replied, emphasizing the hold on his gun just a little more. "Pockets. Now!"

"A simple robbery?" The gunman stared blankly, but the Doctor continued ranting, his voice becoming faster and higher with each word. "No mighty rebellion? Coup d'état? Civil war? General unrest? Grandmother complaining about the local government change? _Nothing?_" Rose tried her hardest not to laugh, but she couldn't help the snort of amusement that escaped her as the Doctor flailed around in disbelief.

"Stop it!" the gunman stepped forward and pressed the gun into Rose's shoulder. "Just give me what you've got and no one gets hurt." Footsteps behind them alerted them to the presence of a larger group of people, and judging from their uniforms and standard issue weapons the Doctor guessed they were the police force of this metropolis. He heaved a sigh of relief at their arrival, but his respite only lasted a split second as the crazed man grabbed Rose and pulled her back to him, effectively using her as a shield.

"Stay back!" he moved the muzzle of his weapon just under her ear, and the Doctor could see his hands trembling with fear and adrenaline. But his own body was coursing with energy now, and he took a calm step toward them.

"Let her go," he kept his voice low, but from the way the man's eyes snapped to his the Doctor was sure he heard the underlying power behind the words.

"I just want to go home," the man cried frantically, backing himself and Rose up to a wall. "Now get back and let me through!" The police edged to the side, giving him a straight path, but the Doctor stepped in his way.

"You're not taking her." He could see the terror in Rose's eyes, but there was another presence in their brown depths, stronger than the fear. She trusted him, _loved_ him, and knew he wouldn't allow her to be harmed as long as his hearts were still beating.

"Get out of the way."

"No." His hands were clenched at his sides, his entire body coiled to strike if he even so much as flinched.

_There_.

The man's grip loosened ever so slightly and the Doctor lunged forward. Rose seemed to have sensed it too, and she dropped to the ground even as the Doctor plowed into the gunman with the force of a hurricane. They tumbled to the ground, but the Doctor managed to maintain a hold on the gun as the police surged forward. Within seconds the man was disarmed and subdued, and the Doctor was being pulled up by Rose's trembling hands.

"You alright?" she checked him over as he dusted himself off. He offered her a manic grin and shrugged.

"Yeah, sure, fit as a fiddle. You?" She rolled her eyes even as she grinned widely and looped her arm through his.

"Never better."

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**Tyler Mansion, Parallel World, Five Years Later**

"John," her frantic voice pulled him from his sleep, and he sat up suddenly.

"Wazzit?" he rubbed a hand over his face and squinted at the clock beside the bed. A glaring 3:49 mocked him, and he groaned softly. "What's wrong?" He turned to look at her, his sweet Rose, beautiful as a goddess even with her hair mussed and her nightclothes rumpled.

"It's time," she breathed, her hand settling on the prominent bulge of her belly. It took almost a full three seconds for her words to sink in before there was an instant flurry of activity. Luckily, the four previous false alarms had their bags already in the car and he quickly dressed in old jeans and a t-shirt as she made her way to the garage.

Three hours later he was sitting in the waiting room with a stunned expression on his face. Jackie and Pete were in Paris negotiating some sort of deal, but one call from him had them on a private zeppelin back home as soon as possible. And so he sat alone trying to piece together what had just happened as the morning news drawled mutely in the background. He'd only caught snippets of the medical lingo that had been tossed around as he was being ushered out of the delivery room, but he'd heard enough to know that it wasn't good.

Finally a man came out, and John felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of blood on his scrubs. He stood on shaky legs and waited for the doctor's approach, his mind reeling with too many possibilities.

"Mr. Tyler?" The doctor came to a stop and John very nearly strangled the man for his hesitation. "Congratulations, you have a son, and he's doing wonderfully." John's legs very nearly gave out as a smile split his face. A boy, he had a little boy.

"What about Rose? How's my wife?" But the doctor didn't have to say anything; the look on his face said it all. This time John didn't fight it when his legs buckled, and the doctor reached out to steady him as he fell to his knees.

"I'm sorry, she's fading quickly. We're trying to stabilize her, but things aren't looking well. I assure you we are doing what we can, but you should prepare your family for the worst. I'm sorry." With a quick, sympathetic squeeze to the distraught man's shoulders, the doctor rushed back into the ward.

John could feel the eyes of others on him, but he didn't care. His precious Rose was dying and he could do nothing about it. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest, and his Gallifreyan brain began whizzing through solutions and ideas, but as tears streaked down his face he could only think of one thing to do.

"Please," he muttered to the universe that had been so kind and so cruel to him. "Please don't take her from me. Not now that I've found her again." His tears soaked his shirt as he hung his head, pleading with whatever deity or power would listen.

"Take me," he said finally. "Take me instead. Make this my last request. Take my life for hers, just please don't take her away from me again." He repeated his appeal over and over again in his mind, praying and hoping and demanding more from the universe than he ever had in his expansive lifetime.

A soft hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts, and he looked up into the tear-stained face of Jackie Tyler. Judging from the look on everyone's face, he'd been there for some time, lost in his own sorrow, oblivious to the world around him. He launched himself up and into her arms, sobbing into her shoulder even as she cradled her against him. Pete was at the desk talking with another doctor in hushed tones, but after a bit he let out a shout.

"John! Jackie! She's alright!" John lifted his head sharply, his reddened eyes focusing on his father-in-law.

"What?" He stalked over and begged for the man to repeat it to him.

"Rose," Pete laid a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "She's pulling through." He pulled John into a brief hug, clapping him on the back comfortingly. John turned to the doctor, his eyes asking to be taken to Rose even as his brain told him to check on the baby.

"You go see her," Jackie pushed him softly. "We'll go look in on our grandson." John thanked her and followed the doctor through the winding corridors to the recovery room that held his beloved Rose.

She was paler than normal, and had far too many wires coming from her, but she was alive and whole. He sank down to his knees again by her bed, brushing her hair from her face. Her eyes fluttered open and she offered him a weak smile, but when she opened her mouth to speak he laid his fingers over her lips.

"Everything's fine." Tears filled his eyes at the memory of the last few hours, but he fought them back and focused on her face. "We have a son," he added with a whisper. "A little boy, Rose. Our family." She smiled against his fingers, and he pulled them away to kiss her properly. It was soft, but so full of relief and passion that there was a question in her eyes when he pulled back.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "There was a complication with the delivery. I –" he choked on the words, but swallowed thickly and tried again. "I almost lost you." The tears spilled over his cheeks, and her hand moved quickly to brush them away.

When his face was dry she moved her hand to the back of his neck, pulling his body to hers. She was still sore and her memory of the last several hours was a blur, but she could sense his need for her even through the haze of the anesthetic. Avoiding the wires and tubes, he settled his body next to hers and reveled in the warmth radiating from her. She stroked his back comfortingly, but it didn't last ten seconds before she succumbed to the drug again.

Soon he would get up and go see his son – the wonderful, beautiful gift Rose had given him. But for now he was content to lie next to her and send a message of thanks to the universe.

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><p>I'm not thrilled at the ending (the entire thing really), but I heard a song the other day and the bunnies wouldn't stop bugging me till I wrote this. So there you are. Please review and let me know what you thought, even if it is rubbish.<p> 


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